On May 28, 1918, a secular, parliamentary independent democratic republic was established for the first time in the Muslim East. The Azerbaijan Democratic Republic was abolished on April 28, 1920, as a result of the military intervention of the Russian SFSR, which grossly violated the norms of international law. The Soviet Union forcibly included Azerbaijan in its composition. In 1991, with the collapse of the Soviet empire, Azerbaijan regained its independence. At the session of the Supreme Council of the Republic of Azerbaijan dated October 18, 1991, the Constitutional Act "On State Independence of the Republic of Azerbaijan" was unanimously adopted. A national vote was held in the Republic of Azerbaijan on December 29. The people of Azerbaijan unanimously supported the state independence of the republic. Shortly after regaining independence, our nation faced the threat of losing it again. At such a difficult time, it was possible to preserve and develop independence after the return to power of National Leader Heydar Aliyev, the eldest son of the Azerbaijani people, in 1993 at the request of the Azerbaijani people. Currently, President Ilham Aliyev further develops the holy ideas of the Great Leader and implements a successful domestic and foreign policy. As a result of this, we witnessed the moments that we have longed for for several years. The Azerbaijani army wrote a glorious history in Karabakh. Under the leadership of Commander-in-Chief Ilham Aliyev, our occupied lands were liberated. The Azerbaijani flag flew in Shusha and Khankendi. Today, our people are sure that under the leadership of President Ilham Aliyev, independent Azerbaijan will conquer higher heights.